IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale completed a good night for British boxing on Saturday as he successfully defended his world strap against Lucian Bute. Following Tyson Fury’s win over Wladimir Klitschko, becoming the unified heavyweight champion, DeGale pulled out a points win away from home in cold Quebec to carry on his fantastic rise. Behind the Gloves looks at DeGale’s career, including amateur life, professional career ups and downs and becoming world champion.
At the age of 10, James DeGale’s father and grandfather took him to meet coach Steve Newland at the Trojan boxing club in Wembley, it was the beginning of what turned out to be an outstanding amateur boxing career. It was at the Trojan club where coaches gave him the nickname “Chunky” relating to his stocky build, which has stuck with him throughout his career.
James later moved on to the Dale Youth Boxing Club where his career took off winning numerous junior championships, including two ABA National Championships. DeGale joined the England boxing team which included the likes of David Price, Stephen Smith and Jamie Cox, competing at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He won a Bronze medal when he lost to Australia’s Jarrod Fletcher in the semi-finals.
DeGale was then selected to box for the England squad at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Benefiting from one to one training and mentoring from the England Training Camps, he won the middleweight gold medal against Cuba’s Emilio Correa Bayeaux who had two points deducted at the end of round one for biting DeGale’s shoulder. The Cuban fought back in the third round to close the points gap, but DeGale maintained his advantage in round four winning 16-14. Following his success at the Olympics, James was honoured with an MBE in 2009.
Leaving the amateurs with a record of 79–16, DeGale turned professional, signing with promotor Frank Warren in December 2008 along with Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders – a contract rumoured to be worth around £1.5 million.
On 28 February 2009 the southpaw switch hitter, who frequently fights with the Arsenal FC Club logo on his robe and shorts, made his professional debut against Georgian boxer Vepkhia Tchilaia, winning the fight on points 40–36. DeGale received a mixed reaction where he was booed out of the ring at the National Indoor Arena after being taken the distance by his little-known and extremely defensively opponent.
Five more victories, the majority coming by way of TKO followed before DeGale entered his first 12 round fight in which he won the WBA International super middleweight title at West Ham’s Upton Park. He defeated Sam Horton by 5th round TKO, handing Horton his second career defeat.
On 18 September 2010, DeGale made the first defence of his WBA title against fellow Brit Carl Dilks, gaining victory by TKO after just two minutes and 54 seconds of the first round, silencing any critics that deemed his style of boxing boring.
DeGale next challenged Paul Smith for the British Super Middleweight title on 11 December at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. The bill included fellow Olympians; Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders, Nathan Cleverly and Kell Brook.
DeGale stole the show, dominating the champion from the opening bell, a clash of heads opened up a cut on Smith’s forehead in the fourth round, by round nine referee, Howard Foster had seen enough and waved the fight off. This latest TKO victory earned DeGale the British Super-Middleweight title.
In May 2011, DeGale suffered the first loss of his professional career to fellow Dale Youth Boxing Club graduate George Groves. The fight started slowly but came to life and ended in brutal fashion as both slugged it out until the end. DeGale wobbled Groves in the third round who then sustained a bad cut in round 11. The judges scored the bout 115–115, 115–114, 115-114. DeGale was left devastated losing his British Super-Middleweight title at the O2 Arena in London.
On 15 October 2011, DeGale put his previous loss behind him to beat Piotr Wilczewski by majority decision, winning the European Super Middleweight title in the Echo Arena Liverpool. Believing that the loss was a blessing in disguise, DeGale set his sights on a rematch with George Groves.
DeGale signed with Matchroom Sport in April 2014, making his first appearance under the Matchroom banner on the undercard of the Carl Froch and George Groves rematch at Wembley Stadium on 31 May 2014, with unbeaten opponent Brandon Gonzáles. DeGale faced the American in an IBF super-middleweight title eliminator to earn the chance to take on the winner of the mega fight between Froch and Groves. Gonzáles was knocked down, but seems to regain his composure. With just 20 seconds left of round four, the referee made a controversial decision to stop the fight, not giving the American a chance to battle back.
All thoughts then turned to a possible fight with Carl Froch and a shot at the IBF World Title. Froch took over a year deliberating his boxing career, following his win over Groves. Potential opponents, including James DeGale and a possible Las Vegas farewell fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr were rumoured before finally deciding to hang up his gloves.
With the IBF world champion belt now vacant, DeGale went out to America to face Andre Dirrell in Boston. In a career best performance DeGale floored his opponent twice in the second round although Dirrell came back in the middle rounds; DeGale secured a unanimous decision, judges scoring the fight, 117-109, 114-112 and 114-112.
A fairy tale ending, James DeGale was crowned IBF Super-Middleweight champion of the world, making history as the first person to win an Olympic Gold medal and a World Championship belt.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, I’m world champ – I made history,” DeGale told BBC Sport “I will take on any super-middleweight in the world. There’s no other super-middleweight that would beat me on my day.”
DeGale announced in mid-2015 that his first IBF Super Middleweight title defence would be against Romanian fighter Lucian Bute. Unusually the champion made the decision to take the fight in Quebec, Canada.
Controlling the fight from start to finish, DeGale dominated the Romanian, an accidental headbutt left a cut above DeGale’s left eye which threatened to derail his defence. Although very aggressive, Bute couldn’t match the champion’s speed, along with his superior footwork it was enough to convince the judges to score the fight 116-112, 117-111, 117-111 in his favour.
DeGale told Sky sports, “I am peaking now, I don’t want to waste any time, so in the next three and four years I want the big fights. I go to Jamaica on a family holiday on December 28, but when I get back, I am right back on it and I would like to be back out in April.
“I think I put on a good performance. I made it a competitive fight, a good exciting fight. It’s all down to me. I could have been boring and moved and boxed him, I am at my best when I am in the pocket, ducking and throwing shots through the middle.
DeGale has caught the attention of the boxing world and is setting his sights on the WBC belt held by Badou Jack, who last won a points decision over George Groves. There have been rumours that he may have tempted Carl Froch out of retirement, and a possible rematch with Groves to avenge his only professional loss, could also be on the cards. Whoever DeGale decides to face next he has certainly proved he is up there with the best in super-middleweight division.
– Emmily Jane / @emmily_jane
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